Best Friends Forever
by Sailor J-chanDuoxHilde 4ever
Summary: What if Jesus and Mary Magdalene had known each other since childhood? How did she wind up being sister to Martha and Lazarus, what were her seven demons, and how did she end up in her profession? And what did she feel about Jesus? Slightly AU-ish, somewh


Disclaimer-I don't own any of these people, seeing as they actually existed. I own the names of the sisters, since they are not recorded (don't even get me started on that!)

Author's Note-Any course I take in this story is strictly for the sake of the story. I am NOT infringing on anyone's beliefs, and I would appreciate it if no one accuses me of such.

Author's Note Number #2-Lots of people have never heard of any gospels besides Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, so you might not recognize some of the characters. For example, Zeno is Jesus's childhood friend, mentioned in the Infancy Gospel of Thomas. I'll clue you in to more real characters later.

~

~

~

Lost At Home

~

~

~

She'd wanted to make herself small, and she had. Unfortunately, her bright yellow headdress and brown robes made it impossible to be invisible. So she had to opt for minuscule.

She didn't really enjoy begin crouched over against the well, but she'd found it useful when she was hiding. Both Father and Mother were so short-tempered these days, complaining and fretting about something called "taxes" which completely went over the 5-year-old's head. She knew naught of taxes, only that there was less food at the table and they snapped at her more often than either party liked.

She pulled her headdress tighter around her neck. The sun was setting and it was getting colder. Other children were heading in as mothers called them to supper. But she heard loud sounds from her own house and knew that there probably would be no supper today. Why head in and be the subject of another argument?

~

~

~

~

"Jesus! Leila!"

"Mother's calling," Jesus said plainly. 

"My mother will be calling me in soon, too," Zeno said, digging a hole and burying the rocks they had been playing with under it and then covering them with sand, so no passerby could kick them in his rush to get to the market or return home. 

They got up, brushing sand from their robes, both white.

"Good-bye!" Zeno ran off towards his own house.

"Jesus!" Marry called, over squalling that he knew was the new baby, James. James was squirming in her arms, trying to break free, and Mary had quite enough on her plate, with the disobedient baby and the new one on the way. "Could you please get your sister?!"

"Yes, Mother!" Jesus called back. Leila was nearing the age of four, and was running around all over the place. The house was simply too small to curb her enthusiasm, and the roads were usually quiet when the Romans weren't here, so Mary allowed Jesus to take her outside, as long as he watched out for her. At 5 he had already proven himself trustworthy and responsible, helping Joseph with his building even in the deadly heat of the summer. The tables he was building these days!

"Jeeeeeee-suuuuuuuus. Jeeeeeee-suuuuuuuus."

He recognized Leila's tone. This was her "I-found-something-Come-see-it" voice.

"Where are you?"

"By the well!"

Jesus jogged off in that direction.

~

~

~

~

"What do you want me to see?" he asked, approaching were his sister was crouched on the balls of her feet, poking at something who was trying to swat her hand away.

"I found her! Look, Jesus, look what I found!"

Jesus crouched down on his hands and knees. Whatever Leila had found, it didn't appear to have a face, because a cloth was covering it.

"Hello?" He reached out and shook what he thought was the thing's arm. "Hello?"

"I'm fine right here," was the muffled reply, even as there was a loud roar from her stomach that signified hunger.

"What's your name?"

"Go away!" the muffled voice yelled.

Jesus reached over and tugged the headdress away so quickly the figure didn't have time to stop him, instead turning with the cloth.

Jesus saw a browning face with big, black eyes and wavy, messy black hair staring back at him.

"Give that back!" she yelped, grabbing the headdress from his hands and trying to put it back properly on her head.

"What's your name?" he repeated. "I'm Jesus."

"I'm Leila!" squeaked Jesus's sister.

The girl hesitated visibly, then said in a small voice, "I'm Mary."

"That's Mother's name!" Leila squealed. 

"I'm sorry for my sister poking you," Jesus said.

"Well, she wasn't talking!" Leila fumed indignantly under her breath.

"Shouldn't you be heading home for supper?" Jesus asked.

"No. I don't have a supper."

Jesus frowned at her slightly. "Aren't you hungry?"

"Yes. But we have no supper."

Jesus pursed his lips and looked at her. "Do you want to have dinner at our house?"

Mary fingered her robes nervously. "I'm not sure…I'll have to ask my mother and father."

"I'll wait here. Leila, can you run and tell Mother that I'll be in soon?"

"I found her first, I want to stay!" Leila wailed.

"Leila."

Leila pouted and stormed off, yelling, "Mother! Jesus says he'll be…" Her voice trailed away as she moved further off.

"I'll be back in a moment," Mary said, picking herself up and finally righting her headdress.

~

~

~

~

"Why are you spending all our money?!" a male voice yelled.

"God forbid I buy something for us to eat!" a female voice countered.

"Who do you think you're talking to?!"

"I'm talking to a foolish hypocrite!"

Mary stopped outside her front door. She could hear them shouting again. They were always shouting about something. Rafael would curse the Romans and buy more wine. Ednah would yell at him for it and buy food. Rafael would yell at her for contradicting him and Ednah usually came out with bruises for it.

She reached up to push open the door, but hesitated. It wasn't an intelligent move to walk in on a fight.

She had to assume they wouldn't miss her if she wanted to eat that night.

Turning, she ran as if the devil was after her.

~

~

~

~

"Mother? I'm back!"

"And would you just look at the sun! It has already gone down. And where were you, son of mine, that makes you so…who's this?" Mary stopped.

"This is Mary, Mother. She says she has no supper, so I thought she could eat with us."

Mary pursed her lips. "I suppose she can stay. Who are your parents, Mary?"

Mary the Younger was still fingering her headdress nervously. "Rafael and Ednah."

Mary's eyes raised. "Oh, I see."

It was no secret to the neighborhood of the problems of those two people. Their shouting could be heard from several houses down either side of them.

"Well, I'll see what Joseph says," Mary said.

"About what?" Joseph walked in from the front door. Leila squealed a welcome and ran to be held and embraced.

"Joseph, Jesus's friend here would like to have supper with us. Do you mind?"

"Well, I suppose not." He hadn't minded marrying the woman carrying God's child, why would he mind having a guest? "What's her name?"

"Mary," Jesus supplied.

"That won't do, having two Marys in the house," Joseph said, bouncing Leila so she fit better in his arms. "Is there anything we can call you to tell one Mary from the other? Are you from Galilee?"

"Well… I'm from Magdala. We moved here for the cen…cenz…"

"The census?" Joseph filled in for her. She nodded. "We'll call you Mary Magdalene, then. How's that sound?"

Mary smiled sheepishly. "I like it."

"All right then, Mary Magdalene. Time for supper, everyone."


End file.
